AVOCA BAKED PASTA SHELLS WITH SPINACH AND RICOTTA

Warming nutmeg meets mild, creamy ricotta cheese to create a delicious filling that’s generously stuffed into oversized pasta shells. Finished with a light and crunchy breadcrumb topping, this is a recipe you’ll come back to again and again.

This recipe is from Avoca’s new cookbook AVOCA at Home (€27.95) — the perfect gift for food-lovers and home cooks. Avoca at Home is sure to spread the love of home cooking and of sharing indulgent, comforting, delicious food. Readers can expect a mix of Avoca classics, exciting new dishes, and tips on how to recreate the Avoca experience at home with simple, accessible, and delicious recipes.

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 4)

250g conchiglioni (jumbo pasta shells)

1 tbsp rapeseed oil

400g baby spinach

250g ricotta cheese

200g Greek yogurt

30g grated Parmesan cheese 2 garlic cloves, crushed zest of 2 lemons

10 fresh basil leaves, shredded Half tsp ground nutmeg

1 x 700g jar of tomato passata fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper

For the breadcrumb topping: 70g fresh breadcrumbs

70g grated Parmesan cheese 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme

1 tbsp butter, melted

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to the boil.

2. Add the pasta shells and cook for no more than 9 minutes — you want them to be undercooked here.

3. Drain and cool them down by running cold water over them. Drain again, then drizzle with a little bit of oil to stop the shells sticking together. Set aside.

4. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the spinach and cook for 1 or 2 minutes, just until it has wilted. 5. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the spinach to cool, then squeeze out moisture and chop.

6. Put the chopped spinach in a large bowl with the ricotta, yogurt, Parmesan, garlic, lemon zest, basil and nutmeg and mix to combine. Season to taste.

7. Pour half the tomato passata over the bottom of a large baking dish and season it with salt and pepper.

8. Stuff each shell with the ricotta and spinach mixture, then add the shells to the dish on top of the sauce, stuffed side facing up.

9. Once all the shells have been filled and added to the dish, pour over the remaining passata and another pinch of salt and pepper.

10. Mix together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and thyme in a small bowl, then pour over the melted butter and toss to combine.

11. Sprinkle this over the top of the pasta, then bake in the preheated oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the breadcrumbs are golden and the pasta is bubbling.